Edna Mae LaFon Beville

Edna Mae LaFon Beville, the daughter of early Clarendon settlers and cherished wife of Ross Harwood Beville died in Bethesda, Maryland, on November 4, 2004, after a very brief illness.

Edna Mae was raised in Lelia Lake from 1911 until she and her family moved to Clarendon in 1924 so the LaFon girls and brother Lowell could attend Clarendon High School. They all belonged to the little white church in Lelia Lake until they moved to Clarendon and joined the Clarendon Methodist Church.  In high school, Edna Mae was a pom pom girl while Ross Harwood was on the football team.  They were able to maintain high school friendships throughout a lifetime on the East Coast by regularly attending their high school reunions here in Clarendon.  Their children were brought to Clarendon regularly from Washington, DC.

Edna Mae cherished the memories of life here and wrote a book about their family life in Lelia Lake, a copy of which will be presented to the Burton Memorial Library in Clarendon.

She and Ross moved to the East in 1936, where Ross pursued a career in radio and was recognized as “the father of FM radio.”

Edna Mae was the “First Lady” of Takoma Park, Maryland, while Ross was the mayor for several years.  She was an artist and the founding president of the Takoma Park Art Association. Her interests also include fashion design, and she was recognized by awards from Vogue magazine, one award being a three-week trip to the fashion centers of Europe where she was entertained by the haute couture houses in Paris, Rome, and London.

She and Ross traveled extensively in Europe, Mexico, the Caribbean, Canada, and the United States.

Survivors include a daughter, LaFon Beville Ward of Jackson Hole, Wyoming; a son, Ross Harwood of Carmel, California; a son-in-law, Bill; a daughter-in-law, Judy; seven grandchildren; 13 great grandchildren; one great great grandchild; a sister, Roberta Currie of Amarillo; a brother, Lowell LaFon of Albuquerque; and a multitude of nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews.

She has been surrounded by a great and loving family all her life and she, Ross, and their children have been blessed by the regular family reunions held on the Currie Ranch.

Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 13, 2004, at the First United Methodist Church in Clarendon.  Burial will be held at Citizens Cemetery in Clarendon with Rev. Terry Tamplen of the First United Methodist Church in Odessa, officiating.  Arrangements are under the direction of Blackburn-Shaw Memorial Chapel of Amarillo.